Fire door



Patented Feb. 23, 1932 PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH OH. SANDERS, OF GREENWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINA mi: noon Application illedseptember 24, 1929, Serial No. 394,902. Renewed April 15, 1931.

= wall is provided with a suitable opening,

which may be used as a door or window. Disposed upon opposite sides of the fire wall are vertically movable fire doors, held in the open raised position by means including a thermo or fusible element. When the fusible element melts due to the action of heat, the two doors drop by gravit to the lower position. The wall is provi ed above the window or door opening with a small transverse opening, receiving a tube having its opposite ends open. A flexible supporting element, such as a chain, is passed through this tube and has its end portions arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall. The

free ends of this chain are preferably atends.

tached to the two fire doors near their lower ends. The two doors balance each other. The chain is provided with a fusible link or links and when the fusible link or links melt, the doors gravitate to the lower position. The two doors operate within guides, having flanges engaging the outer sides of the same. These flanges are inclined inwardly toward the fire wall, in the direction of their lower When the doors are in the raised or open position, there is a free clearance provided between thedo'ors and the fire wall and the guides, but when the doors drop to the lower position, they have a wedging action with the flanges of the guides, which press the doors intofirm engagement with the faces of p the fire wall, thus effecting a tight fit between the doors and the fire wall. The device is extremely simple in construction, embodies few parts, and is reliable in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, formin a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a similar view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and,

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a fire wall, which may be formed of any suitable heat resisting material, such as bricks, or the like. The main opening 6 is formed in this fire wall,which may be used as a door, window or the like.

Arranged upon opposite sides of the. fire Wall, and adjacent to the vertical ed es of the opening 6 are vertical guides 7 rigidly held in place bybolts 8, or the like. The guides 7 have flanges 9, which are slightly inclined from the vertical, and converge downwardly toward the bottom of the fire wall. The function of inclining the flanges is to produce a wedging action with thedoors, when the are in the closed position, as will be explaine The numeral 10 designates a" pair of fire doors, formed of metal or any other suitable fire resisting material. These doors are mounted to move vertically within the guides 7 The doors are normally supported in the raised open position, by means to be described. Secured to each vertically movable door 10 near its top and bottom are tapered or wedged shaped shoes 11 and 12, having inclined faces arranged parallel with the inclined flanges 9. When the doors 10 are in the raised position, the shoes 11 and '12 are spaced a slight distance from the flanges 9, providing a perma nent clearance between the shoes and the flanges, so that there is no liability of the doors jamming or sticking in the open position. These doors drop entirely by gravity when they are released. a i

The fire wall 5is provided above the main opening 6 with a small transverse opening 13,

g receiving a section of pipe or tube 14, the outer ends of which are preferably bent outwardly to produce vflanges 15. A flexible support ing element, such as a section of chain 16 is passed through the tube 14- and has its end portions disposed upon opposite sides of the fire Wall. These end portions extend downwardly, preferably throughout the major portion of the length of the fire doors, and

are attached thereto by hooks 17, secured to the fire doors adjacent to their lower ends. A fusible link 18 is connected in the chain 16, preferably near each end of the same, so that there is a fusible link disposed adjacent to the outer side of each vertically movable fire door.

I provide a stop 19 for each vertically movable door. This stop is preferably made of iron and is disposed adjacent to the'bottom of the main opening 6 and will limit the downward movement of the door. he function of this stop is to take the undue strains from the shoes and flanges 9, which would result if the downwaro movement of the door was arrested entirely by the flanges and shoes.

I also contemplate drilling a hole in. one guide 7, uponeach side of the fire wall, so that a pin or bolt may be inserted within this hole and serve to lock the door in the closed position. At night, or at other timeswhen the main opening 6 is not to be used, the chain 16 is disconnected from the hooks 17 and the doors 10 are lowered and locked in the lowered position by means of the pins.

The operation of the apparatusis as follows: I

The flexible element or chain 16 is passed through-the tube 1% and its end portions are disposed upon opposite sides ofthe fire wall, and its free ends are secured tothe hooks 17, with the fusible links 18 arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall and adjacent to the outer sides of thevertically movable fire doors. In the event that fire shouldstart upon either side of the fire-wall, the corresponding fusible link would melt and the chain would break at that point, and both doors would drop to the lower closed position. When they reach thislower closed position, the shoes 11 and 12 would have wedging action with the inclined: flanges 9, thereby properly forcing the doors inwardly into .nrm engagement with the firewall. However, when the doors are in the raised open pos1 tion the sho-esare slwhtk soaced from the s J flan es 9 rov1d1n a clearance between a; a n these shoes and the flanges. thus at all times rendering the doors free to drop by gravity.

It is to be understood that ther orm of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to without departing from the sp- -t oi my invention, or the scope otthe subjoined claims. l V

Having thus claim I 1. A fire wall having a main opening formed therein and asmall opening above the main opening, a tube mounted within the small opening, vertically movable fire doors disposed upon opposite sides of the wall to cover the mainopening, vertical guide meanst'or the doors having a loose fit with the doors when said doors are in the described my invention, I

upper open position and a tight fit with said doors when they are in the lower closed position and a flexible suspension element passed through the tube and having end portions arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall and directly secured to the doors -dispo'sed upon opposite sides'of the main opening, vertical guides for the fire doors having flanges which incline downwardly towards the fire wall, inclined shoes carried by the fire. doors. to engage with the inclined flanges when the doors are inthe closed position, and a flexible elementpassed through the tubeand havingits end portions disposed upon opposite sides of the fire wall, said flexible element including a fusible member, and means mounted entirely upon the fire doors for attaching the ends of the flexible element to the fire doors, said means being free from attachment with the wall.

3. A fire wall having a main opening formed therein and a small opening above the main opening, vertically movable fire doors disposed uponthe opposite sides of the fire wall and adaptedto cover the main opening, guides'for the vertically movable fire doors, said guides embodying longitudinally inclined portions, the guides for the doors having a loose fit with; the doors when said doors are in the upper open position and a. tight fit with said doors when they are in the lower closed position, a suspension element passedthrough the small opening with its end portions disposed upon opposite sides of the fire wall, said suspension element embodying a fusible link, and means mounted entirely upon the fire doors ator detach'ably connecting the ends of the suspension element'with the fire doors, said means being free from attachment with the wall, the arrangement being such that the fire doors may be separated from the suspension element and lowered, to the closed position when the main opening is not in use.

4. Aflfire wall having a main opening formedtherein and a small transverse opening arranged near the main opening, fire .doors disposed upon opposite sides of the fire wall and gravity operated to a closed positionfto cover the main opening and a flexible element passed through the small opening and having end portions arranged upon opposite sides ofthe fire wall, means mounted entirely upon the doors for directly connecting the flexible element with the doors, said means being free from attachment with the wall, said flexible element having a fusible link, and guide means for the the wall, vertical fire doors mounted within the guides between the inclined flanges and the vertical faces of the wall, the arrangement being such that the fire doors have a loose fit between the inclined flanges and vertical. faces of the wall when in theupper open position and are thereby free to drop by their own weight to lower closed positions for wedging action between the inclined flanges and the vertical faces of said wall, a flexible element extending through the transverse opening to opposite sides of the wall and embodying a fusible element, and means mounted entirely upon the fire doors for attaching the ends of the flexible element to said fire doors.

6. A vertical fire wall having a main transverse opening therein and a small transverse opening therein arranged above the bottom wall of the main opening, a pair of generally vertical guides arranged upon one side of the vertical wall and disposed near the main opening and having inwardly projecting flanges, said flanges being inclined vertically downwardly with relation to the vertical face of the wall, a vertical fire door mounted within the guides between the inclined flanges and the vertical face of the wall, the arrangement being such that the fire door has a loose fit between the inclined flanges and the ver tical face of the wall when in the upper open position, and is thereby free to drop by its own weight to a lower closed position for wedging action between the inclined flanges and the vertical face of said wall, a flexible element extending through the small transverse opening to opposite sides of the wall and embodying a fusible element arranged upon that side of the wall which is remote from the door, means mounted directly upon the fire door for attaching the adjacent end of the flexible element to said fire door, and an element arranged upon that side of the wall remote from the fire door and attached to the flexible element.

7. A fire wall having a main opening formed therein and a small transverse opening arranged near the main opening, a fire door disposed upon one side of the fire wall and gravity operated to a closed position to cover the main opening, a flexible element passed through the small opening and having portions arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall and also having a fusible link disposed upon that side of the fire wall remote from the fire door, means mounted entirely upon the fire door for directly connecting the flexible element with the fire door, said means being free from attachment with the wall, an element mounted upon that side of the wall remote from the fire door and connected with the flexible element for preventing the movement of the flexible element, and guide means for the door having a loose fit with the door when said door is in the open position and a tight fit with said door when it is in the closed position. i

8. A fire wall having a main opening formed therein and an auxiliary opening arranged near the main opening, a fire door disposed upon one side of the fire wall and gravity operated to a closed position to cover the main opening, a flexible element passed through the auxiliary opening and having its ends arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall and embodying fusible elements disposed upon opposite sides of the fire wall,

means mounted entirely upon the door for directly connecting the flexible element with the fire door, said means being free from attachment with the wall, a holding element mounted upon that side of the fire wall which is remote from the fire door and having connection with the flexible element to normally prevent its movement in one direction, and guide meansfor the door havinglongitudinally inclined portions, said guide means having a loose fit with the door when said door is in the open position and a tight fit with the door when said door is in the closed position.

9. A fire wall having a main opening formed therein and an auxiliary transverse opening arranged near the main opening, a fire door disposedupon one side of the fire wall and gravity operated to a closed position to cover the main opening, a flexible element passed through the auxiliary opening and having its ends arranged upon opposite sides of the fire wall, and having a fusible link arranged upon one side of the fire wall, means mounted entirely upon the fire door for directly connecting the flexible element with the fire door, said means being free from attachment with the wall, a holding element arranged upon that side of the wall remote from the fire door and connected with the flexible element to hold the same against movement in one direction, and guide means for the door having a loose fit with the door when it is in the open position and a tight fit with the door when said door is in the closed position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

, JOSEPH OI-I. SANDERS. 

